Sciatica is an umbrella term often used to describe pain in the back of the leg that is caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve in your lower back.
Symptoms may include sharp, shooting pains that travel below the level of the knee, muscle weakness and changes to sensation. Often people suffering from sciatica will complain of leg pain that is more severe than the pain in the lower back.
True sciatica is relatively uncommon and accounts for approximately 5-10% of all posterior leg pain.
The majority of leg pain that coincides with lower back pain is referred pain caused by damage or irritation to structures in the back such as muscles, ligaments or discs. This is called somatic pain.
Somatic leg pain can be characterised by dull achey pain felt only above the knee, no loss of strength or sensation and back pain which is worse than leg pain.
It is fairly common to experience back pain from time to time, and this will often settle with self management techniques including activity modification to include gentle movement, application of heat to relax tense muscles and time for symptoms to ease. However, if your symptoms are severe or do not resolve quickly, physiotherapy can be an effective treatment for both sciatica and somatic back and leg pain, using techniques including hands on manual therapy, acupuncture and tailored exercise.
If you have been struggling with any type of back pain and would like an assessment, please get in touch to book an appointment.
* Please note if you experience the following symptoms, seek urgent medical attention*
– Weakness or numbness that is severe or getting worse
– Numbness around your genitals
– Difficulty urinating or incontinence that is not normal for you